Safety valve for water gauges



J. P. WULFF Dec. i8, w23.

SAFETY VALVE FOR WATER GAUGES Filed Nov. 25

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i outwardly directed Patented `ec. 18, 1923.

A *l UNITED STATES JOHN PETER WULFF, OF CHICAGO, ILLINQIS.

SAFETY VALVE FOR WATER GUGES.

Application led November 25, 1921. Serial No. 517,756.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOHN P. WULFF, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Imrovements in Safety Valves vfor Water auges, of which the following is a specification.

This inventionrelates to gauges employed in connection with steam boilers for indicating the water level and consisting of a glass tube, one end of which communicates with the water space of the boiler and the other end with the steam space.

An important object of the invention is to provide the gauge with al novel and improved safety valve which prevents the escape of steam and hot water in the event of breakage of the glass tube.

A. further object of the invention is to provide a means whereby the valve is automatically opened when the glass tube has been replaced.

@ther objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the course of the detailed description appearing hereinafter and in order that the same may be better understood, reference is had i to the accompanying drawing wherein like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the several views.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation showing the invention applied to a boiler;

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the valve showing the method of seating itself in its valve seat, and

Fig. 3 is an end view showing the winged construction of the valve.

Referring specifically to the drawin numerals 5 and 6 denote upper and ower boiler valve housings, respectively, which are threaded at their inner ends to a boiler 7. Each said housings 5 and 6 carries a valve of the usual type. The parts except as hereinafter noted, are of standard design and hence a. detailed description thereof is not necessary.

The lower boiler valve housing 6 has a lateral tubular extension 8 which is upwardly disposed, and the same is provided with a support 9 on which a valve 10 issup.

ported when at rest. This valve l0 has ide wings 11, which terminate at their ower ends below the bottom face 12 of the valve and at their upper ends a substantial distance below the -top surface 13 of the valve, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. By this construction it will be seen that the wings 11, in addition to their guiding function also serve to elevate the valve from its support to permit the normal passage of liquid therebetween. The `top surface 13 of the valve 10 isreduced and ameter as that of the tubular extension 8,

thus forming a guide for the valve wings 11 when the valve is moved from its normal position on the support 9. A rubber gasket 15a may be placed between the members 8 and 15 to insure a water tight joint. In the casing 15 above the valve 10 1s 1ocated a partition 16 having therein a valve seat 17 in which the valve 10 seats itself when forced by pressure from its support 9, thus closing the opening 17.

Threaded to the free end of the casing 15 is the lower neck 18 of a` glass guard 19 carrying therein the gauge glass 20, the lower end of which rests on the upper side of the'partition 16 around the valve seat 17. The upper end of the gauge glass 2O extends through the upper neck 21 of the gauge glass guard 19 and rotrudes a short distance into a sleeve 22 w 'ch is threaded to the upper neck 21 of the auge glass guard. 4Packing glands 23 Amay e provided to prevent leakage at the joints or between the gauge glass and the guard v19.

To thev free end of the sleeve 22 is threaded a nut 24 carrying a flanged coupling 25 which in turn carries a metal pipe 26. free end of this pipe 26 is also fitted with a flanged coupling a carried by a nut 24a which is threaded to a lateral tubular eX- tension 27 of a valve cage 28. rllhe valve cage 28 is connected to and has communication with the upper valve casing 5 of the boilei 7 by means of a tubular flanged coupling 29 threaded into a tubular extension 30 in the lower portion of the valve cage and connected to a tubular extension 31 of the upper boiler valve housing 5 by means of a threaded nut 32 carrying the flanged end 33 of the tubular cou ling 29.

Into the upper end lof t e valve ca e 28 is screwed a standard pipe plug 34, an into The lll@

' to be supported when at rest. vThis valve the lower e dief. said valve, there is screwed a plug B5, his last. anentloned `plug carrying a stem 36 on which a valve 37 is adapted 37 is of ldenticall the same structure as the valve and t erefore need not be described. The valve 37, when forced from its position on the stem .36, is ided by its wings acting on the walls of t e valve cage 28 and seats its forward surface 13 in a valve seat or aperture 38, thus closing comn'lzuniceltion through the tulbular extlensioll 2 ,an ipe26to ugegass20. twi

be notedp that wheiia the valve 37 is supported o n the stem 36 it is located above the aperture 39 in the' lower ortion of the valve ca 28, which communicates through the tubu ar coupling 29 te the upper boiler valve 8.', Thus steam may normally pass] up and -around the valve 37 ,4 but when extraordinary pressure is exerted, as b breaking of the gauge glass, the valve wil i sons in the vicinity. The leak vation is as follows thus shuttin peventing be forced-into the seat 38. l .Having described m invention, theopere upper and lower boiler valves are open at all times,- steam d paing out through the upier boiler valve under the wi va ve 37 an into the' gau e la 20, whi e water. paes out from t e ower boiler valve under the win valve 10 and into the gau glass 20. understood that t e equalized pressure of the water and steam in the gauge glass will cause the wing valves 37 and 10 to remain at rest on their respective supports 36 and 9 by reason of their own weight, and that since theguide wings v11 terminate below the'bottom `surface of the valves, as sage of the fluidupwardl under the va ves ma be effected. The liquid level of the boi er will now be indicated in the guage gleass 20. :When the 4 t equalized pressure ing instantly ldestroyed, the wing valves 37 ,and 10 w1ll be forced into the seats 38 and 17 res ectively, oi the How of the uids and t e escape lof the pressure in .the iler 7 and consequently scaldng of perports 14 in the wing valves 37 and 10 allow for the p of a 'small' ilow of Huid therethrough, so that after the new guage glass 20 has been applied the same may gradually be filled with the steam and water.` When the preure within the tube again equals the pressure of the' two fluids in the'boiler, the valves- 37 and 10 are automatically untwill be.'

gu e glass is fractured seated from their. seats in, the apertures 38 and 17 and slide back by gravity to their normal 1position on the supports 36, and 9. It wi be notedthat by my construction 'the valves 37v and 10 operate vertically in their chambers sothat when the pressure in the gauge glass 20equals the boiler pressure the valves may fall back upon their su ports 36 and 9 by gravity, thus avoiding t e use ofs rings.

ile I have described the preferred einbodiment of my invention,v it will be understood that various changes and modifications may be made in the same within the s irit and scope of lthe depended claims. he invention is capable of application w all boilers having their own standard equipmeInti and may be readily attached thereto.

c a1n1:

1. The combination with the glass of a water gauge and the connecting means of said gla 'with the steamfand water spaces of the boiler; of a valve chamber in each of said connecting means in communication at one end with the boiler and having at the other end a valve seat communicatingl with the mentione said chamber normally resting relation to said support, and wm s extend- 1n laterally from the valve and on tudi-' naly below i'ihe lewer end theriof or engagement wit 1 sai support, sai win operatin on the wall of the valve chlsnber to gui e the valve into the valve seat when it is actuated.

y2. A- valve comprising a cylindrical body portion havindgl a conical head at one end, and radiall rected guide means attached to said bo y portion andextended beyond the other end.

3. The combination with theV glass of a water gauge and thel connecting'means of said glass with the lsteam and water spaces of the boiler; of a valve chamber in each of said connectin means 1in communication at one end with t e boiler and having at the other end a valve seat communicating with the gla, a valve. in l'said chamber, wings extending laterally from the valve and longitudlnall below the lower end thereof, for spacing the valve from the boiler inlet, said wings operating on the wall of the valve 'chamber to guide'the valve into the valve seat when itis actuated.

In testimony whereof I aiiix 1n si JOHN PETER (glass, a valve support in the firstend of said chamber, a valve in in spaced ature. 

